August 24: there's a rock in my boots.

Say it like Woody says it. I've seen Toy Story too many times and I don't even live with this kid. Anyways, today he didn't want to do much at the playground other than fill his boots with rocks and dump them out.  

August 23: termination point

I loved today. Four totally random people from four completely different places moved to Kodiak within the last four-five months, knowing nearly nobody. Somehow we all connected (I met Kayla and Alanna on the same hiking trip, and Kinsey is a fellow teacher). This hike was a blast. I loved laughing, geocaching, sharing stories, and having great discussions with these women. I feel very fortunate to have found them!  

Ps- the wind today was amazing. I can't stop laughing every time I see this picture. 

August 22: worst navigation ever

Alanna and I had an hour or so, and we decided to find a trail that was a little less popular. Even with a clear trail map (including step by step directions) and a compass, we couldn't even find this trailhead. We ended up going for a nice drive instead. When I was in Chicago, and all the streets ran on a grid, and the body of water was in one direction only, I was awesome at navigating. Here, I am always feeling lost. 

August 21: decompressing, part 2

Yep, after day 2 of teacher inservice I needed another walk. Which brought me to Abercrombie. And this view.  I am sure you are all getting sick of picture after picture of mountainous island. Newsflash: that's what we have here. And in a week I guarentee all my pictures will be school related. And who knows what you'll get in the dead of winter. So I would just hush up and take this :)

August 20, 2015: decompressing

I had my first official day of new teacher inservice.  Lots of helpful information, but I always come away feeling a little overwhelmed.  This district is going to be awesome to work for and I am really excited! But after hours in a room with lots of new people, this introvert needed a nice, long walk to clear her head and relax :)

I chose boyscout beach. The trail there is wooded and mossy. It was just what I needed to refuel and be ready for tomorrow! 

August 19, 2015: Lake on Old Woman

Today I met up with another teacher who is new to Kodiak. We hiked up Old Woman this morning.  This lake is set off to the side. It was tempting to hop down and swim! 

This evening I went to my first book club. I loved it. I was really satisfied today. Beautiful weather, new people, good conversation.  

August 18, 2015: bathroom... Check!

My shower was fixed today and my bathroom cabinet installed! No more getting ready in the car!! It was a happy moment :). 

August 17, 2015: Aunt Manny House

Today I watched this big guy for an hour today while Meg went to work. I still don't have a couch. So we hung out in camp chairs and played with his new Buz toy. 

August 16: What do you know, it actually rained today

Everyone has been telling me not to get used to this gorgeous weather we have been having. This amount of sunshine is unheard of here. Today was a typical Kodiak day, and I was actually really grateful. It motivated me to go into the classroom and get some work done!  

August 15, 2015: the sky was cool, I promise

... But you obviously can't tell. 

August 14, 2015: white sand beach

This morning we spent a few hours at White Sand Beach. We hadn't been here yet but heard it was one of the nicer beaches (and had SAND instead of rocks!).  We loved it! We were the only people there. The fish were so plentiful we saw one jump every minute or so. The water was pretty shallow so the fish's find were poking out of the water like mini sharks. We even saw a whale! We brought the binoculars so we were able to watch it swim around and jump out of the water a few times!   It's a morning like this that reassures me I made a good decision moving here.  It has been really hard moving and giving up the great community I had in Chicago, and the family so close in Michigan.  I knew I would miss everyone, but I didn't expect to break out in sobs at random moments like I do (thankfully it usually happens when I am alone but there has been the occasional breakdown at church or in the bathroom at Walmart).  It's been rough. But mornings like this, when I can relax and spend quality time with Meg and Arthur while experiencing the things we are experiencing makes it more than worth it.  

August 13, 2015: Growing up is overrated

So I like TMNT. And veggie straws. And Lisa Frank. 

August 12, 2015: Monashka Bay geocache

This entire post is a shameless plug for geocaching: they are the coolest!  If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest it. It's a great way to explore! True, the goodies inside are not that cool. That's not the point. The hunt is fun, it's a great way to exercise (I biked out to this one. Up huge hills. I was sweaty), and you often learn interesting history about the area. Yep, it's nerdy. And awesome. Do it! 

August 11: Old Woman with our Buddies!

These kids are so awesome. I am in love with their matching looks today. Cammo tops and swim trunks. They were ready for the hike up the mountain and a nice swim in the lake! 

August 10, 2015: Near Island

Meg and I went back out to Near Island for a quick walk. I couldn't do anything too crazy because my heels are nothing but huge blisters because of yesterday's Barometer hike.  Arthur was with a babysitter, so we were finally able to hike to the second island. Whenever he is with us, he gets sidetracked by the rocks and we never make it that far.  It's too bad because you can see the sea planes land from the second island. We also watched an eagle dip down into the sea and catch a fish. It flew right over our heads, fish dangling from the talons. 

August 9, 2015: Barometer

Kyle and I decided to climb Barometer today. It's said to be the most challenging of the peaks in Kodiak.  Kyle and I made excellent climbing buddies because we panicked at opposite times. On the way up, I felt confident and pushed Kyle, and on the way down I fell apart while he led us back to safety. I have climbed mountains before but nothing this steep. We were on our hands and knees for a large portion of the trail. There were times when we slid down part of the trail, both intentionally and unintentionally. The view from the top was indescribable. Sadly, the picture doesn't even do it justice. One of the most beautiful sights I have seen. Bonus: there was a geocache on top! 

August 8, 2015: Fishing Adventure

Alanna and I went fishing today. Neither of us had a clue about what we were doing. We learned a few things: 

1.  Just because you live in Alaska, and the salmon are so thick you can't tell them apart from one another, and everyone else you talk to is catching fish doesn't mean you will catch anything. At all. All day. 

2. Always bring your rain gear, no matter what. It's Kodiak. The weather forecast doesn't mean anything. 

3.  Rubber boots with handles are a must. That way, when you step in mud that ends up being 2' deep, you can pull your boot out before the earth swallows it (see photo). 

4. Check ahead of time to verify how long a hike will be. Winging it may result in lugging fishing equipment over ridges in the rain. 

5. Shells and cheese with Pepsi is the best dinner after a long day. I already knew this, but wanted to make sure you all do too. 

We had a lot of fun!! 

August 7, 2015: Look! A plane!

We haven't gotten into bird watching yet. We're too excited to watch the planes! Between the seaplanes, coast guard planes, and the helicopters, we saw a low flying plane every few minutes today while we played on the beach. Arthur liked looking through the binoculars backwards more than he did the correct way. 

August 6, 2015: jam for sale

I snapped this picture because I wanted to look into buying some Salmonberry jam. Since I didn't take any more pictures today, this is what you get. 

August 5, 2015: View from Peterson

Ok, so if we haven't established this yet, there are very few places that don't have incredible views. Here's the view from the parking lot at school. 

August 4: Stop signs are:

A. Red squares with white letters

B. Orange triangles with black letters

C. Red hexagons with white letters

D. Red hexagons with black letters

Is it any surprise I failed my first attempt at the drivers license test? Stop signs are octagons. Even in Alaksa. I chose C and got it right, and immediately after the test, I drove until I found the first stop sign and recounted the sides. Still 8. So even with the faulty test, I passed today on my second try. I am now an official Alaskan resident :)

**confession: so on this day I took a picture of my drivers license. Then I realized it's a terrible idea to post all that information online. Unfortunately it was the only picture I took this day. Sooo... Here is a picture of my license I took a few days later with the info covered. It's technically cheating, but I am not chancing a stolen identity for the sake of blogging :)

August 3: The incredibl(y lucky) Hulk.

Arthur likes to shoot Hulk with his nerf gun. Today, this happened, and I died laughing. Now, Arthur walks around saying "Shoot Hulk. Weeeeiner."  

August 2: working in the backyard.

I decided I should start teaching myself our math curriculum, so I "worked" for a bit outside in my sort of backyard. My house is next to a lake. I brought a camp chair down to the lake and read. I can do work all the time if it's this nice. (It won't be. I guess this summer is unusually sunny. The rain is sure to be coming!)

August 1: Salmonberries

Today was such a GREAT day. I joined a hiking group this morning and together we climbed Pillar Mountain. I met some great people. I noticed that elderly people on this island are machines. My mountain climbing abilities were put to shame by three retired men, one who was wearing jeans and an unbuttoned button down shirt.  (Well, it started buttoned but as we climbed higher and higher, the shirt slowly opened up to let in the breeze. I am inspired by how fit people are here.  Our guide, Hans, is retired and leads hikes all summer long. He was instrumental in the development of a lot of the trail maps in Kodiak, so he made an awesome guide, pointing out the landforms and teaching us about the history of the island.  I hiked alongside him and his girlfriend the entire way down the mountain and LOVED hearing his stories. 

After the hike I went Salmonberry picking with two girls I met. (Yay, I have friends!) I hadn't been legit berry picking yet here, and it's a definite Kodiak activity. Alanna, my new friend from today (I actually asked her on the hike if she wanted to be my friend. I have no shame), is making Salmonberry jam, so I donated all of my berries to her :). All I need to do now is go fishing and I can call myself a true islander. 

July 31: evening beauty

I can't say that night time over the water is as beautiful here as it is in Ludington (there is just something about Sunsets over Lake Michigan) but it's close! 

July 30: Sk8ter punk

This sweatshirt. So hilarious.